It is within an inclosed cemetery, known as the Calton burying ground,
which is separated from the Calton Hill by a wide thoroughfare. The
statue is the work of an American sculptor, George E. Bissell. It is a
fine bronze figure, and rests on a massive granite pedestal. The
figure at the base is that of a freed negro holding up a wreath. On
one face of the pedestal are Lincoln's words, "To preserve the jewel
of liberty in the framework of freedom." The statue is a memorial not
alone to Lincoln; the legend on the pedestal tells that this plot of
ground was given by the lord provost and town council of Edinburgh to
Wallace Bruce, United States Consul, and dedicated as a burial place
for Scottish soldiers of the American Civil War, 1861-65. Cut in the
granite are the names and records of Scots who fought to preserve the
Union, and who have found their last resting place in this old burying
ground at the Scottish capital.
David K. Watson was born near London, Madison County, Ohio, June 18,
1849. Moved to Columbus, Ohio, in 1875, where he now resides. Was
Assistant United States District Attorney for the Southern District of
Ohio from 1881 to 1885. Elected Attorney-General of Ohio in 1887 and
re-elected in 1889. Member of the fifty-fourth Congress. Was member of
the Commission to revise the Federal Statutes. Author of _History of
American Coinage_ and _Watson on the Constitution of the United
States_.